UPDATE 5-U.S. resumes scheduled passenger flights to Cuba after more than 50 yrs

SANTA CLARA, Cuba Aug 31 (Reuters) - The first scheduled
commercial passenger flight from the United States to Cuba in
more than half a century landed on Wednesday, opening another
chapter in the Obama administration's efforts to improve ties
and increase trade and travel with the former Cold War foe.

A JetBlue Airways Corp passenger jet arrived from
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the central Cuban city of Santa
Clara. The route may be a commercial challenge, at least
initially, but it is the first of a plethora of new flights by
various U.S. airlines to destinations on the Communist-ruled
island.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, JetBlue Chief
Executive Officer Robin Hayes, other officials and journalists
were aboard the 150-seat plane. Regular travelers, including
some of Cuban descent, occupied nearly half the seats on the
flight to Santa Clara, a city with a population of about 200,000
that is known for its monument to revolutionary leader Ernesto
"Che" Guevara.

While opening travel to cities like Santa Clara is seen as a
foot in the door to expanding travel to the Cuban provinces, the
market's big prize is routes to Havana, which Foxx awarded on
Wednesday. American Airlines Group Inc was awarded the
biggest portion.

"The Havana competition was one of the most over-subscribed
competitions that I've been a part of," Foxx said in an
interview before the plane took off. "I think that speaks to the
interest on the part of the American people, and it also speaks
to the level of commercial interest in the U.S. that exists."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry noted in a Twitter
message that the flight took place just over a year after the
flag was raised at the reopened U.S. embassy in Havana. He
called it "another step forward."

Cuba and the United States began normalizing relations in
December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks and have since
restored full diplomatic ties. The countries had been hostile
for more than five decades, since Fidel Castro ousted
U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in a 1959 revolution that
steered the island on a communist course and made it a close
ally of the Soviet Union.
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